I want to build a highly modified PC, but I need some guidance & advice.

[TechyGuy001]

Okay, so I'm new to this page, but I've been a tech enthusiast for many years. I know a base amount about how to build computers and how everything works. But one thing I admit is that I am not an expert, but I have big ideas. But anyways to my questions...

 

I really want to build a new computer that fully supports ECC. I know it's one of those things that really doesn't matter to some, but I'm looking to go for a computer that is built to last, and also is going to have a simple RAID set-up, and an external firewall in addition to the one in the software. I am trying to do something well maybe is a bit insane. So please I ask ppl to be open minded. 

 

I need to know how I can modify a pc to run 2 separate raid set-ups that doesn't necessarily need to be able to function at the same time. See I'll be running 2 different operating systems, windows vista & the other is optional maybe windows 10 or 11. Most likely 10. I'll switch between hard drives in the bios with the bios set to run at start up. And I want a back up hard drive set up for each OS as the RAID. And, because I'll be running an older OS I want to add ECC support to help with any errors caused by outdated software, drivers, or whatever. I know I'll get a lot of responses about why in the sam hill I need this kind of set up, well, lets just say I'm married and my wife is quite attached to an old game her siblings used to play a long time ago. Anyways, moving on lol. Due to the older OS that's why I am also adding an additional firewall hardware on the network since it's likely Windows vista isn't updated with the latest protection anymore. As far performance in hardware I'm not necessarily looking for high end, but something in-between, not too hot but not sub-standard either. I did a little research already and I guess AMD still has boards that still enable ECC, and that most or maybe all intel ones don't anymore. My preference is at least 10 cores for the processor with a base clock of at least 3.2 GHz. And at least 64 GB of memory. I'll be using this pc for a lot of moderate and occasionally heavy processing operations, mostly on the windows 10 OS. 

So first things that come to my mind is does all the hardware need to be ECC compatible? I would assume so, like the CPU, motherboard, ram, and I wonder about if ECC would be necessary for the GPU?... probably not idk u tell me. I'll only be using a basic GPU not for gaming primarily, but more for a modest touch in capability, and streaming. 

What should I do to prepare to put together a rig like this? Any Adaptors? Drivers? Reformatting? Details beyond the normal standard knowledge of making a pc is what I'm looking for. Even if you don't have the complete list of answers if you at least know one piece of the puzzle it's appreciated.

 

I know what I am looking for I just need some guidance on how I may implement my ideas here. I know how to build a basic computer, but just not with any of these additional crazy stuff lol. I'm open to anything that'll make this happen, even if it's out of the box thinking.

 

[Crunchy Dragon]

Motherboard ECC support tends to come down to the CPU, but this isn't necessarily always the case.

Most AMD boards on the AM4 or AM5 sockets, and their respective CPUs, do have full ECC support. On the Intel side, you have to be on a workstation or server platform for ECC.

 

Bootable RAID arrays are usually only possible with hardware RAID, which can be a pain to set up, but isn't impossible. Almost every Intel workstation(X-series chipset, LGA 2011, 2011v3, 2066 sockets) and server motherboard(C-series chipset, same sockets) has a built-in RAID controller that will allow you to configure a hardware RAID array in the BIOS, I'm not sure if that's a feature on AMD.

 

What might make more sense for you is to run Windows Vista in a virtual machine. Modern hardware doesn't even support Windows 7 anymore, so running Vista natively might not even be possible.

Running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise as your host OS with Vista in a virtual machine allows you to do is grab a set of hard drives and/or SSDs, and configure a RAID1 array within Windows 10's Storage Spaces utility(not available on Win10 Home), and use that as your virtual disk for the virtual machine.

 

Another key reason to have a virtual machine is you don't necessarily have to let it on the network and you don't even have to give it a network adapter when setting it up, keeping your other data and devices safer.

 

As far as knowledge goes, you should be fine just with basic knowledge of how to build a PC. Adapters shouldn't be necessary, and most of the work can realistically be done in software. The hard part is doing all the research to find out what support you need from which parts(such as virtualization, ECC, hardware RAID, etc) and sourcing various parts.

 

I might point you towards a slightly older Intel-based system with a Xeon CPU(Core series CPUs do not support ECC) on the LGA 2066 socket, X299 or C422 chipset. Think of a Xeon W-2155: 10 cores, 20 threads, 3.3Ghz, right around $150 on Ebay. An X299 motherboard that works is going to be around the same price, same deal for a C422 board from Supermicro. 4x16GB of DDR4 ECC should run about $100-120 and you're looking at less than $500 USD for your CPU, motherboard, and RAM.

[TechyGuy001]

17 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Motherboard ECC support tends to come down to the CPU, but this isn't necessarily always the case.

Most AMD boards on the AM4 or AM5 sockets, and their respective CPUs, do have full ECC support. On the Intel side, you have to be on a workstation or server platform for ECC.

 

Bootable RAID arrays are usually only possible with hardware RAID, which can be a pain to set up, but isn't impossible. Almost every Intel workstation(X-series chipset, LGA 2011, 2011v3, 2066 sockets) and server motherboard(C-series chipset, same sockets) has a built-in RAID controller that will allow you to configure a hardware RAID array in the BIOS, I'm not sure if that's a feature on AMD.

 

What might make more sense for you is to run Windows Vista in a virtual machine. Modern hardware doesn't even support Windows 7 anymore, so running Vista natively might not even be possible.

Running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise as your host OS with Vista in a virtual machine allows you to do is grab a set of hard drives and/or SSDs, and configure a RAID1 array within Windows 10's Storage Spaces utility(not available on Win10 Home), and use that as your virtual disk for the virtual machine.

 

Another key reason to have a virtual machine is you don't necessarily have to let it on the network and you don't even have to give it a network adapter when setting it up, keeping your other data and devices safer.

 

As far as knowledge goes, you should be fine just with basic knowledge of how to build a PC. Adapters shouldn't be necessary, and most of the work can realistically be done in software. The hard part is doing all the research to find out what support you need from which parts(such as virtualization, ECC, hardware RAID, etc) and sourcing various parts.

 

I might point you towards a slightly older Intel-based system with a Xeon CPU(Core series CPUs do not support ECC) on the LGA 2066 socket, X299 or C422 chipset. Think of a Xeon W-2155: 10 cores, 20 threads, 3.3Ghz, right around $150 on Ebay. An X299 motherboard that works is going to be around the same price, same deal for a C422 board from Supermicro. 4x16GB of DDR4 ECC should run about $100-120 and you're looking at less than $500 USD for your CPU, motherboard, and RAM.

That all sounds very informative, and I'll definitely go with the advice on using a virtual machine for windows vista. I've heard of using virtualization, but I've never done it before. Basically, are you saying that I'll be using the main hard drive both to run Win 10 and virtually run Win Vista with the second hard drive as the RAID back up for both OS? Would there be a data writing conflict? I'm sorry I understand what virtualization is, just never done it before.

 

[Crunchy Dragon]

1 hour ago, TechyGuy001 said:

That all sounds very informative, and I'll definitely go with the advice on using a virtual machine for windows vista. I've heard of using virtualization, but I've never done it before. Basically, are you saying that I'll be using the main hard drive both to run Win 10 and virtually run Win Vista with the second hard drive as the RAID back up for both OS? Would there be a data writing conflict? I'm sorry I understand what virtualization is, just never done it before.

When you set up a virtual machine, you have to set up what's called a "virtual disk", which is just a file on your hard drive that the VM uses for its hard drive.

This virtual disk can be set up anywhere on your PC, including on a RAID array that you've set up within Windows 10. This will ensure that you have a backup of your virtual machine in case one of your hard drives dies.

 

Setting up a RAID backup for both of your operating systems would be possible as long as your motherboard has a built-in RAID controller for hardware RAID, and more importantly, supports booting from said RAID array -- not many motherboards these days have a RAID controller, fewer still support booting from RAID, hence the possible requirement for an older Intel platform. C422 or C612 might support booting from RAID, with those being server chipsets, but I would be more skeptical on X299 or X99.

 

If you were able to have a bootable RAID array, then having backups specifically for your virtual machine wouldn't be as big of an issue, since your entire PC would have a backup of itself.

 

Having the RAID controller is key as well, which is why I mention workstation/server platforms -- most motherboards that support RAID and are able to configure it in the BIOS really just have software RAID built in, not an actual RAID controller.

[BlackDragon1971]

RGB add 100% Turbo Speed...!!!

[Echothedolpin]

10 hours ago, TechyGuy001 said:

That all sounds very informative, and I'll definitely go with the advice on using a virtual machine for windows vista. I've heard of using virtualization, but I've never done it before. Basically, are you saying that I'll be using the main hard drive both to run Win 10 and virtually run Win Vista with the second hard drive as the RAID back up for both OS? Would there be a data writing conflict? I'm sorry I understand what virtualization is, just never done it before.

 

Just remember one of the number one rules for RAID: Raid is not a backup.